Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 210, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 September 1918 — HAYS ANSWERS WILSON INQUIRY [ARTICLE]

HAYS ANSWERS WILSON INQUIRY

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CHAIRMAN DECLARES REPORT INCORRECT. . > Washington, Sept. 12.—Will H. Hays, chairman of the Republican Natiqnal committee, in a letter to Joseph P.. Tumulty, secretary to the President, today says he did not use the language which the Topeka Capital quoted him as having used in, addressing a meeting of Republican state chairmen in Chicago, Sept. 2. President Wilson requested the secretary to ascertain in particular if Chairman Hays had said that the Democrats in Washington “would even end the war with any kind of compromise if that would insure the continuance of the Democratic party in power.” The Republican national chairman in his answer to the telegram from Secretary Tumulty, after saying that he did not use the words quoted in the telegram, quotes, substantially what he did say to the Republican state chairmen. These quotations show that he said to the state chairmen in a general way that the Democrats had not “adjourned politics,” but to the contrary were using every effort at their command to obtain votes. Chairmen Hays then appealed to the secretary to the President and to the Democratic organization to join with the Republicans in an effort to keep partisanship out of the war and the war out of partisan politics. Chairman Hays’ letter in full is as follows: . » ■ “Dear Mr. Tumulty.—l have your telegram of Sept. 2. In Chicago I attended a meeting of the association of Republican state chairmen called by its president, and attended by fifteen of such chairmen. At that meeting I made remarks referring in a general way to the lengths to which the Democratic are going in their efforts to control the senate and house, and also as to the irrevocable stand of the Republican party for a vigorous prosecution of the war and against an inconclusive peace. I did not use the words quoted in your telegram. What I said then, which I now affirm, and which' I shall continue to declare, was substantially as follows: First as to the means resorted to by certain Democratic leaders to get votes, I said: ‘ln the special election in Wisconsin, the Democratic machine leaders published advertisements undenied since by them, addressed to the soldiers at Camp Grant as follows: “Tuesday, April 2, you are entitled to vote for a United States senator from Wisconsin to succeed Senator Paul 0. Hustin. President Wilson, your commander-in-chief, desires all loyal Americans to vote for Joseph E. Davies for United States senator. _

“Davies election means joy at Washington and gloom at Berlin. “Davies defeat means gloom at Washington and joy at Berlin.” I regard this as an infamous prostitution of ail patriotic proprieties and the grossest violation of the plainest civil duty, worthy of the severest condemnation of all Americans. In this crisis, when all patriots are striving to bring to the aid of the country s cause every resource in men and maI terial, when thousands of Republican and Democratic boys are dying, side by side, and when both political parties are loyal, such conduct is immeasurably reprehensible. From such actions it is evident, and I regret to say it, that these Democratic leaders will go to any lengths to carry the senate and the house. Such unpatriotic efforts to use the war for partisan purposes must fail. . Such inevitable failure was indicated by the Wisconsin result. It was further shown in the Michigan

primary, and it was conclusively proven in the Maine election. The American people will not tolerate it. This is the war of no political party. This is the'people’s war, and we demand that the war be kept out of partisanship politics and partisanship be kept out of the war. And what we ask of the party in power we irrevocably pledge for ourselves. ‘Second, as to the imperative necessity of a vigorous prosecution of the war and a conclusive peace only, and the need of a Republican congress to that end, and in connection with a discussion of the candidacy or Mr. Ford in the Republican primary in Michigan and his statement as to why he became a candidate, and while reviewing the service Republicans in congress rendered the ma -> or . measures which were opposed by the Democratic leaders, the chairman of the ways and means committee, ana others, I said:

•We demand the most vigorous prosecution of the war and,a peace with victory. A Republican congress means a war congress and we pledge our candidates to be men who are supremely pro-American who will give the country’s all for the winning of the war now and who will stand irrevocably against any peace based on a compromise of principles which would violate American rights, interest and honor and make of our sacrifice a sacrilege to 'be made again by ’our grandchildren. I hope and trust the Democratic party will work by the same token. Recognizing as we do, that there will always be politics, I am pleased

to advise you what I said to these Republican state chairmen, because I insist that our politics be open and acknowledged and on a plane and of a character that needs no subterfuge, and that there be no political partisanship in anything that touches the war. .

Further, I now take this opportunity to appeal to you directly and to the Democratic organization, as 1I long ago did in my reply to Colonel' George Harvey’s letter, to join with us in this effort to keep partisanship out of the war and the war out of partisan politics. This is no time for little things: The world is on fire. Our duty to our soldiers, measured by their marvelous accomplishments and their supreme service, the magnitude of the task ahead for us ail, and the incalculable consequence of the result, all cry out for the fullest cooperation. Let no political parties spend their time accusing each other of disloyalty when both are loyal.

I urge that there be no accusations of disloyalty (from either one or the other in this campaign. Such accusations will give a totally false impression to the enemy and the party or committee making such accusation will be guilty in that very act of the worst kind of disloyalty. We have a heavy load to haul. Let us, as far as possible, hitch up both our great political horses and haul them used, unhampered, freely, to pull this load, each striving to see which can pull the harder. Sincerely yours,

WILL H. HAYS.”